Last week I inspired you to dream. But what good are dreams?
Dreams are ethereal, fragile things. They have no substance. They are merely figments of our imagination.
But they are also the starting point for doing new and amazing things—so long as we have the courage to turn our dreams into reality.
Part of the reason God put us on this earth was to accomplish the dreams and passions he places in our souls. He never said it would be easy. He did say he would provide what we need to accomplish whatever he calls us to do.
Do you have a dream burning in your heart that you want to see become a reality? Then read on.
How to turn your dreams into reality
Consider Fears vs. Hopes
Ask yourself these questions:
- Why do I think this dream is worth the effort?
- Why haven’t I pursued this dream in the past?
- If I’ve tried before, why did I give up?
- Ten years from now, will I look back and regret not
pursuing this dream?
Clarify your dream and why you want to accomplish it
Ask yourself questions like these:
- Why does this dream excite me?
- What have I always loved/been interested in that
points me to accomplishing this dream? - How will it benefit me?
- How will it benefit others?
- Why do I
think God is calling me to do this?
For best results, refer to steps 4-6 in last week’s post to further clarify your motives.
Look at your answers. Use them to adjust and clarify your dream so you know exactly what you hope to accomplish and why it matters.
Write it down: I want to ___ because ___.
Assess the difficulty
- Consider the gap between your current abilities
and the skills you will need to be successful. This is not intended to scare
you away from the dream, but to help you see some of the milestones you must reach
along the journey. You will be more likely to reach your final destination if
you have a realistic idea of how long the journey will be. - Count the cost. Consider what you may need to
give up in order to pursue your dream. Things like: lazy Saturdays binge-watching
Netflix, time-consuming hobbies, spending money on luxuries, or keeping the
house as clean as you’d like. - Ask yourself if you have a valid reason not to
pursue this dream at this time or season of life. I am not talking about fear,
but the realities of life, such as small children who need care, or an illness
that prevents you from certain activities.
Break the dream down to manageable sub-dreams
Your dream may take years to accomplish. That’s OK.
You may have a lot of preliminary steps you need to take before you can even consider tackling the end goal. That’s OK too.
Consider the various pieces that are needed to get there: Things you need to learn. Skills you need to improve. Opportunities you need to find. Tasks you need to accomplish. Break that big, intimidating dream into smaller chunks. Each of those chunks is a sub-dream worth pursuing in its own right.
Choose one sub-dream to tackle first.
I’m all about taking life one step at a time. We can’t tackle everything at once, so pick one sub-dream and make that your current Important Dream Worth Pursuing.
Don’t stress over picking the “right” dream to do first. Tell those voices in your head that there is more than one “right” way to begin accomplishing your dream, and you have permission to choose whichever one makes the most sense.
Break your sub-dream into manageable tasks.
Then break those sub-dreams down into even smaller chunks until you have a list of actions you can feasibly do now.
For example: If you want to write and publish a children’s book, your list might look like this:
- Look for local writer’s groups.
- Find a class on writing children’s books.
- Research the how-to-write books available in the library and pick one to read.
- Read the top 100 children’s books.
- Buy a journal and start jotting down ideas.
Get started.
Starting is half the battle. Starting sets things in motion. Starting defeats the force of Resistance that is trying to keep you stuck where you are. So start. Pick one doable task and Just Do It.
Again, don’t stress over picking the “right” thing to do first. Tell those voices in your head that there are plenty of “right” first steps and you have permission to choose whichever one you like.
PICK A STEP, AND THEN DO IT.
The world will be a richer place when you accomplish your dream!
I wish you success on your journey to making it happen.
